But Still, Like Air, I'll Rise: New Asian American Plays [Paperback]

Velina Hasu Houston (Author), Roberta Uno (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 1997

In this pathbreaking volume, Velina Hasu Houston gathers together eleven plays that speak in the 'hybridized, unique American voices of Asian descent and often dissent.' These writers resist the bigotry that attempts to target them solely as people of color as well as the homogenizing tendencies of a multiculturalism that fails to recognize the varied make-up of Asian-America. Anthologized for the first time, these plays testify to the rich complexity of Asian-American experience while they also demonstrate the different styles and thematic concerns of the individual playwrights. What are Asian-American plays about? Family conflicts, sexuality, social upheaval, betrayal ...the stuff of all drama. Whether the characters are a middle-aged Taiwanese woman who is married to an Irish American and who dreams of opening a Chinese restaurant, a Chinese-American female bond trader trying to survive a corporate takeover, or an ABC (American Born Chinese) gay man whose lover has AIDS, their Asian-ness is only a part of their story. As a playwright, Houston is keenly aware of the rigid formulas that often exclude writers of color and women writers from mainstream theater. "But Still, Like Air, I'll Rise" brings forth vibrant new work that challenges producers and audiences to broaden their expectations, to attend to the unfamiliar voices that express the universal and particular vision of Asian-American playwrights. Author note: Velina Hasu Houston is Associate Professor and Director of the Playwriting Program in the School of Theatre at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. She is also an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and poet. Her work has been presented internationally at such venues as the Manhattan Theatre Club, Old Globe Theatre, A Contemporary Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Smithsonian Institute, Kennedy Center, and Japan Society. She has written for film and television and her plays and critical essays are published in several anthologies. Her first anthology for Temple was "The Politics of Life: Four Plays by Asian-American Women".

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Following up on her previous anthology, Politics of Life: Four Plays by Asian American Women (Temple Univ., 1993), award-winning playwright Houston (director of the Playwriting Program at UCLA) presents 11 plays by established Asian American playwrights of diverse pan-Asian ancestry. To the reader, they represent hybridized, American voices of Asian descent and often dissent, unique and distinct from mainstream Eurocentric American dramatic tradition. In various styles and themes, these plays dramatize different American experiences with vision and creativity. The homoerotic play by Chay Yew "A Voice of Their Own" echoes a universal theme, transcending ethnicity. These plays have been premiered in leading regional theaters. Besides Houston, the authors include Jeannie Barroga, Phillip Kan Gotanda, David Henry Hwang, Sung Rno, Dmae Roberts, and Elizabeth Wong, among others, all identified at the back of the volume. This engaging collection is highly recommended for academic, large public, and research libraries.?Ming-ming Shen Kuo, Ball State Univ., Muncie, Ind.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"[G]reat eloquence, passion and patience..." --The Women's Review of Books

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Product Details

• Paperback: 520 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (June 29, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566395380
• ISBN-13: 978-1566395380
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #573,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Diversity of Voices within Asian-America, May 6, 2003

By 

Amelia (Queens, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: But Still, Like Air, I'll Rise: New Asian American Plays (Asian American History & Cultu) (Hardcover)

Most of these plays don't succumb to the pressure (as does much of Asian-American fiction and non-fiction literature) to try and represent ALL Asian-Americans at once - it is in the specific that a people are expressed, and as the drama in this anthology gets more and more specific, we see how many voices we really have.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly Original and Vital, April 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: But Still, Like Air, I'll Rise: New Asian American Plays (Paperback)

BUT STILL, LIKE AIR, I'LL RISE is a delicious anthology that celebrates refreshingly original voices that frequently go unheard, unseen and unnoticed. The book showcases 11 exciting plays by Asian American playwrights, underscoring the depth and range of the Asian American experience. The plays raises provocative questions and offers wonderful insights on identity, family, language, trust, betrayal. A must have for any library.

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing stuff, June 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: But Still, Like Air, I'll Rise: New Asian American Plays (Paperback)

i was taking an acting class and we were required to prepare 3-4 scenes. we were encouraged to seek out classics as well as ethnic plays/playwrites, which is how i happed upon BUT STILL, LIKE AIR, I'LL RISE. and man, there is good stuff in here. inevitably the playwrites address cultural issues, via idividual characters' lives, but everyone, regardless of race or roots, should be able to appreciate the masterful writing, the universal themes, and the imipressively wide range of plots. even though i'm not a serious actor, i couldn't NOT buy this book.